Half and Half

Chapter Six

"Where is he going...?" Mal asked and trailed off as Ben seemed to run to the castle.

Akiho shrugged. "Who knows? But anyway, nice to meet you Mal! Can I sign your cast?"

"What's with everyone wanting to do that?"

"It's what you do. Can I?"

Mal shrugged. "Knock yourself out."

Akiho grinned and took the marker that Mal had on the side of her chair for such a purpose, taking care to make his lettering nice and neat.

Not that it worked but the attempt was appreciated.

"...You're not related to Elsa are you?" Mal asked.

"She's my Auntie!" Akiho said with a grin. "How'd you know?"

"The snowflake over the 'i' in your name gave it away." Mal said with a slight shrug. She had no issue with Anna or her family, Hans was a mid level villain anyway despite being a Prince. He'd tried to join the Dragon's gang but didn't get lucky there.

According to Maleficent, no one in power wanted someone who'd attempted a coup to be around them. It was one of the few lessons that she had taught Mal that were actually lessons and not an excuse to inflict pain.

"So...are you Mowgli's kid?" Mal asked, looking at the other boy. Hey with the black hair and the tanned skin, it was a logical guess.

'Emir' snorted in amusement. "If I was Mowgli's kid, do you think I would like tigers?"

"Then who's kid are you?"

Before he could answer, Ben came running back with something in his hand. "Oh good you guys are still here!"

"Where would we go without you?" Akiho asked, tilting his head.

Ben shook his head in amusement before turning to Mal. "Here! I wanted to give you this last week when I gave you my favorite books from the library but I left it in maman's room cause my hands were too full."

"I think Lady Steph had to help you find your way to my room," Mal said, smirking slightly at the memory. Ben truly had stacked a pile of books so high that he couldn't even see over it.

How he made it as far as he did without hurting himself until Lady Steph stepped in was a miracle.

Emir snorted in amusement. "So typical Ben then? He does the same thing when he visits Agrabah."

"Once! I did it once!"

"Yeah, the first time you visited!"

Mal, though, frowned slightly as she heard 'Agrabah'. She'd lived with the Dragon long enough to know that was where Jafar was from—meaning there was only one hero who could be Emir's parents.

Well...it's a good thing I'm not too close to Jay, Mal said as Emir, Akiho, and Ben joked around. Honestly the three of them kinda remind me of Uma, Harry, and me. Maybe...maybe Boreadon's not so bad...

As if knowing what she was thinking of, her ankle began to throb causing her to gasp softly in pain. She hadn't meant to, in all honesty it was almost against her will.

"You okay?" Ben asked, hearing the gasp.

"How did you—?"

Emir shook his head. "Ben can hear anything! No matter how soft you say it, he can hear it. But he's right, are you okay?"

"Yeah...just my ankle," Mal said, her voice soft. It was one thing telling Lady Steph that she needed pain medicine but it was another thing entirely to tell three Boreadon boys...err Auradon boys.